Priorities
by dragonlore1981
Summary: For Dean it was hard to believe it had been so long. Six months. Half a year. He still missed his brother. He would give anything to have him back. Well almost anything. Circumstances change. Priorities change.
1. Chapter 1

For Dean it was hard to believe it had been so long. Six months. Half a year. He still missed his brother. He would give anything to have him back. Well almost anything. Circumstances change. Priorities change.

Six months and one day ago he would have traded his soul again to have even just one more day with Sam. He would have marched into Hell and single handedly dragged him out. Dean would have killed every monster, demon, ghost, and person that stood in his way. Circumstances change. Priorities change.

That night he knocked on Lisa's door was the night his priorities changed. He was walking away from the one thing he had always known. There was nothing left for him anymore in that world. Everything he was fighting for was gone. When her eyes lit up at the sight of him on her doorstep he knew where he belonged. She didn't care that he was a hunter of things from fairytales and myths. She loved him just the same as she did the first time they met. He was standing on her doorstep a broken man, alone in the world. He had nothing to lose and nothing to win. Lisa could see his eyes were dead, his spirit crushed. The tears in his eyes were the tears of someone who lost their way. But with all that she knew she loved him. She always had.

That was six months ago. The nightmares had all but stopped. Dean no longer woke up in the night covered in sweat and tears. He smiled more in the past six months then he had in over 25 years. It wasn't because his life was perfect. Far from it. There were the arguments all couples had. The worry over what bill was going to get paid and which was just going to have to wait until the next time around. He smiled more because he was truly happy.

Dean quickly fell into a routine and so did his new family. Every morning Monday through Friday he was up at 5:00 am and off to work at 6:00am. After work he would stop at the local bar and have a drink or two with a friend. By 5:30pm he was coasting into his spot in the drive way. No sooner was the truck was off would Ben be out the door telling Dean and his mom about his day. At 6:45pm it was dinner. And at exactly 7:15pm the argument would start with Ben as to why he had to do the dishes and his homework. Ben was in bed by 8:30pm on school nights and the lights were out and TV. off by 9:30pm. Nothing ever changed. He slept in the same bed every night with the woman he loved lying right next to him. The lack of change was surprisingly comforting.

Dean was lying on his back thinking of all this when he was supposed to be asleep. He should be asleep. Something was wrong. He knew it. He could feel it in his bones. Over the years he had learned to trust his instincts above all else. Every hunter that was still alive and planned on staying that way trusted their instinct. Most times it was their only friend and ally. He rolled over and looked at Lisa. Her soft features were enhanced by the silver moon light shining in from between the cracks in the curtains. Her hair was strewn all over the pillows. Her makeup gone. She was the most beautiful at this time of night. He ran his calloused hand over her soft skin. So peaceful. It almost felt like a dream. Almost.

Someone like him who had done so many things wrong in his life didn't deserve someone like her. He stopped. Why didn't he? He had given so much of himself so didn't he deserve a little bit of happiness? To finally be normal. He scoffed. Well as normal as any Winchester could be. A smiled stretched across his face. Not only did he deserve her, she also loved him for some strange reason he couldn't understand.

His eyes fixed on her as he saw the signs of her coming out of her slumber. Her eyes started to flutter open. Still heavy with sleep she mumbled something only a drunk man could have understood. Dean sure didn't. She drifted back into sleep.

His deep voice broke the silence of the night. "I love you," he took a deep breath. "Go back to sleep." She was already sleeping. She would never remember that moment but he always would.

Giving up on sleep at the moment he decided to get up. He gently rose out of the bed so as not to wake the sleeping beauty again and walked to the window. The moon was full in the sky. One of the biggest moons he had ever seen. It seemed to be sitting right on top of the house across the way. He decided that was enough of the blinding white moon and was just about to plod off to watch some late night TV with Mr. No Name host when he saw it. A tall dark shadow. No sooner had he seen it was it gone.

The TV was never turned on that night. The years of training and hunting kicked in. Unknown objective meant all the stops had to be pulled. His shoulders squared. His blood pounded quickly in his veins. His breaths were deeper but calm. He heard every noise in the house. The soft breathing of Ben in his room at the end of the hallway. The sound of the clock in the kitchen downstairs ticking in the night. The light from the alarm clock showing like a beacon in the night. All his senses were on high alert.

His dad called it his business walk. Dean walked quickly and efficiently to the closet at the end of the bedroom and opened it. With military precision he started to work. He pulled an old tattered piece of luggage from under the piles of clothes in the corner, opened it and started to pull out its contents. This was his family. He had to protect them. No one and nothing was going to take it away. Not this time.

The basic cell phone he had kept was plugged in, charging and on in 30 seconds. His old life was staring at him in the face. Almost mocking him. There was the sawed off shotgun filled with salt rounds. A metal can filled to the brim with salt. The biggest bottle of lighter fluid one could buy along with his trusty Zippo and a book of matches you get at the gas station. Holy water ready to use. Wooden stakes if needed. Everything. At the bottom of the bag and the last thing he pulled out was his fathers journal. Dean was ready. Anything that tried to even make it through the front lawn would surely not make it very far.

He started to assess the situation. A shadow. Only solid things make shadows. It moved quickly. Could be a demon. But why? He kept his nose down and lived a normal life. It could be human. A well conditioned human. Maybe a hunter checking up on him? Not likely. He was halfway through when he stopped. Something was moving in the room.

Grabbing nothing he went to the closet door and waited. There was a child in the house. He had to be careful. So wait he did. He sure could use back up right about now. Where was Sam or Bobby when you needed them. Well he knew where Sam was and cringed. He hadn't heard hide nor hair of Bobby in six long months. He did this on his own before, he would do it again if need be. But the stakes were higher this time. So he waited.

The bedroom light turned on. Immediately he was just Dean again. Not Dean Winchester the hunter. No idiot, no matter how fast or fit or other worldly it was would turn on the light then murder. It was Lisa. His shoulders slumped ever so slightly, his breathing was calmer and his blood pressure lowered. His guard wasn't down, just on reserve.

She didn't knock. With her forehead leaning against the door she said "is everything thing ok Dean?" She was definitely wide awake this time much to the dismay of both parties.

He was just about to open up the door and lie when he saw it. No one could see that until the time was just right. Quickly tucking it away in the same torn luggage it fell out of he opened the door ever so slightly and tried to squeeze out without her seeing the contents of his bag all over the floor in the closet. Success, or so he thought. She knew what he was doing. Something got him moving. It had to be the shadow. She had seen it several times over the past few months. But she knew better then to ask. They all did.

"Oh. Hey. Yeah Just can't sleep.?he gave her the smile she loved, a slightly crooked grin that showed his teeth and squinted his eyes ever so slightly at the edges.

"Want to talk about it?She didn't really want to, and neither did he. He just shook his head no and grabbed her hand. When in doubt, distract was the motto he lived by.

Lisa, still a bit sleepy, let him lead. It was something they found they both enjoyed. Dancing slowly to no music. Sure it was one in the morning but she loved the feel of his strong body pressed up against hers. Whatever had scared him had made him sweat. She didn't mind. In fact she liked it even more. Every time Dean would move his hand on her back she could feel his body react. His muscles rippled. His heart would beat a bit faster each time. His soft touch on hers. Her delicate fingers intertwined with his. Her other hand placed on his neck she pressed on his head and he looked down.

Slowly she broke the hold he had on her. Gently she grabbed his jaw and pulled him to her level. No words were spoken, but looking into each others eyes, everything was understood. He was scared but ready. She was worried but safe.

Without warning Dean lowered his lips to hers and kissed with a deeper passion then ever before. He finally surrendered himself wholly to her. The last bit of what he was holding onto was gone. He was going to stay with her. He was going to marry her. Together they were going to grow old together. He was going die with her. In that late night kiss he pledged to himself to be hers forever. Nothing would change that. In that kiss all concept of time was lost. It was just them. They moved even closer together then what was once thought to be possible. The kiss was broken but the passion flamed.

Blood pulsed through their bodies faster then it ever had before. Not when it was just to get laid all those years ago. Not like the first time they made love six months ago. This was pure passion and love. There hands were moving quickly over each others body. Both were panting. Nothing could ruin this moment. Except one thing.

A cell phone started to ring. Who calls at 1:30 in the morning? No sane person! When he realized it was his phone it was too late. He missed the call. Holding the cell phone in his sweaty palm he was confused. No one had called this phone. Lisa had a devastated look on her face. So much for some alone time with her man. She was reaching for the phone because she knew the look on his face. It wasn't his. His head snapped up, shoulders straight. He marched to the closet door and ripped it open.

There was his old crappy cell phone charging still. The little red indicator light blinking. Quickly he snapped open the little black flip phone and stared at it in disbelief. It couldn't be.

1 MISSED CALL


	2. Chapter 2

He wanted to call. Not out of loyalty to his brother but out of need. He needed Dean right about now. The case he was working on was something only Dean could help with and no one else. It was his area of expertise. Sam had no clue what to do.

Six long months he stood in this exact spot. Sam always stood across the street from the little house. Hanging out in the tree lines in the shadow of the night had become a regular past time for him. For the first month he was here in this spot night after night. He was sure if someone really looked they would have spotted him. But when you are suppose to be trapped in Hell, no one looks for you. Though Sam was pretty sure Lisa had spotted him a couple times.

Lisa had spotted him once that he knew of. It was only days after Dean had knocked on her door. Sam was in the night shade of the back yard. Looking through the kitchen window he saw his brother eating a home cooked meal at the head of the table. He looked horrible. It was obvious he was still lost in himself. After what seemed like a quiet dinner Lisa did the dishes in the window Sam was looking through from afar. He had to admit, she wasn't bad looking. She stared absently into the dark not realizing she was looking right into Sam's eyes. All she saw was the darkness as her thoughts ran. Sam made a move to get out of her line of sight when she froze. The plate in her hand clattered back into the sink. A sharp intake of air was the only noise she made.

Dean was by her side asking what was wrong. The look in his eyes would have been enough to put fear into any man. Dean was ready to kill anything in the hopes that it would take away his pain. Lisa stammered out some nonsense but concluded it was just her imagination. With a meaningful and serious look she shot out the window Sam knew immediately that she knew he was there but she wasn't willing to give Dean up for whatever reason. He almost called Dean that night. Almost. That was six months ago.

Now Sam showed up when he could. He was hunting better now then ever before. He was a well oiled machine. He lived this life 24 hours a day. Nothing mattered to him except getting the job done.

So after six months of showing up when he could he still stood there predicting everything that would happen. It was so weird to see that people actually had these routines. That nothing changed. Sam wondered how anyone could do the same thing day in and day out and never get bored with it. He wondered how is his brother could go from sleeping in a different bed every night or sleeping the car night after night. Going from town to town could simply leave it all behind and become a routine driven man.

"You go find Lisa. You pray to God she's dumb enough to take you in. You have barbecues and go to football games. You go live some normal, apple pie life, Dean" A faint echo of a different life. Sam had said these words. He just couldn't believe Dean had actually done it. The one time Dean really listened to him.

Sam looked at his phone for the time. It was 9:20pm. The lights would start going out in ten minutes. Right again. At 9:30 all the lights were out except one. Dean and Lisa's light was still on. Typical. He would just have to wait a little while longer. So he stood there doing nothing but planning his attack. He could just barge in make a lot of noise and have Dean come down and try to kill him. He could just call. Maybe just sneak in and out and no one would even know. Looking up he knew sneaking in and out would be hard. The full moon was shinning so much light that it could have been daylight out.

Time goes by quick when you don't sleep. The hours ticked by that night. Nothing changed. The houses on the street slowly grew dark. However the outside lights were slowly being turned on. They wouldn't turn on those lights if they knew what really was in the darkness. Things they would never want to see.

Once he was pretty sure everyone around was asleep, he sprung into action. As quickly and quietly as a lion on the hunt Sam snuck across the street and walked into his brother house as he did every night he was there. The door was never unlocked. Locks only stop honest people. Crossing the thresh hold he stopped and smirked. Walking in you would think this was just some normal suburban house. But if you looked closely you could see the signs of a hunter, well ex-hunter, living here. Under the rug he just crossed over there was a devils trap painted on the underside. The vase of live flowers was sitting in holy water. The antique shot gun mounted to the living room wall Sam just passed was fully loaded with salt rounds. The list went on and on, but you had to know what you were looking for. Once a hunter, always a hunter.

Sam continued on his mission. He navigated around the plush furniture, the oh so perfect family pictures, the shoes, all the random belongings that showed yes normal people actually did live here. He knew where to go to find what he was looking for. Quickly and quietly he rounded into the kitchen and found the key box by the door. The keys to Dean's tool box. He needed to borrow something.

After acquiring the key he moved to the garage through the connecting door dead set on his mission. This set of keys led to another set of keys. The keys to the Impala.

It was obvious that Dean had wanted nothing to do with hunting again. The Impala was covered with a car cover. Not a speck of mud was to be found. It was spotless. You could eat off the car. Sam opened the trunk as quiet as possible. It creaked in protest. Sam just hoped that the one thing he needed was in that car. After popping open the hidden weapons compartment he rooted around for only a minute. If he stuck around he was sure to get caught. After realizing it wasn't there he made it look as if no one had been there. Sam crept out of the house and back across the street.

Not quite in the shadows this time, he looked at his phone. It was 1:00am. Taking one quick glance up at Dean and Lisa's room he cursed out loud. Standing in the window was his brother. If he ever wanted to be seen now was the time. Or not. He snuck back into the shadows as quick as he could. But it was too late.

Same watched as Dean changed before his eyes. In that split second he was someone else completely. One might argue he was himself again. Sam just stood there with his phone out, watching. Sam's finger was on the little button ready to call one more time. He had tried for weeks after he first got back but the calls kept going to voice mail. Eventually he just gave up.

When the light in the room turned on Sam had realized Dean had vanished. Was he coming out to check? Was he already outside watching Sam in disbelief? No he couldn't be. He would know. His brother was predictable. If he wasn't outside where was he? Sam just waited. Now would be the best time to call. If Dean were to join him now it would be because he was himself again. He was poised to dial again and stopped. Again.

The shadows that were Dean and Lisa were mingling. Now was not the time. He put his phone in his pocket and walked away.


End file.
